The jinx of the final refuses to go away

Getting to the final and not winning is like a batsman being stranded on 99. That one step, small yet so significant, makes all the difference and somehow Indian cricket has struggled to take this winning stride.

I am not going to quote statistics here to illustrate my point. The fact is that India have made it a habit of not winning the final and it was once again demonstrated so painfully at Karachi when Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup title with a 100-run victory.

The margin was huge indeed but at one stage India were cruising. Virender Sehwag was in murderous mood and the Lankans feared annihilation at the hands of one batsman. But one man, a 'mysterious' bowler, changed the complexion of the contest, and of course the result too.

Ajantha Mendis, a smiling assassin if one can call him, exposed the brittleness in the Indian batting line-up where the emphasis is too much on the top order. I fail to understand what Robin Uthappa was doing in this team at No 7 when ideally the slot should have gone to an all-rounder, Yusuf Pathan or Praveen Kumar.

The jinx of the final just refuses to go away. India have a good team, a good future but lack the aggression that matters. The difference between the teams was this aggression, so nicely reflected in Sanath Jayasuriya's sensational century, followed by Mendis' craft, and not to forget the flawless fielding.

I was a little surprised to hear MS Dhoni's comments regarding Mendis. The Indian captain said he was "unplayable." That can be debated. Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina were guilty of throwing their wickets away and these two dismissals cost India dearly. Now where is the question of Mendis being unplayable when you are not prepared to put value to your wicket?